David Ellefson reflected on his firing from his longtime band Megadeth and why he was not surprised when Dave Mustaine announced his departure in May 2021.
Megadeth faced another lineup change when Mustaine issued a statement confirming the exit of his co-founder, Ellefson, following the allegations that he groomed an underage fan. Some musicians, including singer Jeff Scott Soto, believed that the bassist was "unfairly" removed from the band and that the frontman only waited for a bomb so he could easily cut off his former bandmate.
Why David Ellefson's Firing From Megadeth Was Not Surprising
Speaking about his Megadeth's exit two years ago, Ellefson told Andrew McKaysmith of the "Scars And Guitars" podcast that he was ready to be ousted from the band days after his controversial messages and video emerged on Twitter.
According to the bassist, he heard people saying how terrible it was to see him depart from Megadeth - something he said he was ready for.
"I didn't think it was gonna go down that way; I didn't see that coming," he said. "But the fact that it happened, I was not sad about it. I was okay with it. Because I knew there's another journey ahead, and that journey wasn't going to start until I was out of the old one."
Two days after his exit announcement was posted, Ellefson penned a statement in which he said he would file a defamation lawsuit against the individual who posted his private video and made false allegations against him.
At that time, he disclosed he was working with the Scottsdale police to prosecute the responsible person to the "fullest extent of the law." Following the controversy, he also decided to take a break to spend more time with his family and still sent Megadeth his best wishes with their tour.
After his removal from Megadeth, the band tapped James LoMenzo - who worked with Testament's Steve Di Giorgio - as the replacement.
Dave Ellefson's Controversy Explored
Ellefson's downfall from Megadeth started soon after his text messages and video with a Dutch teenager were leaked online. He said that, while he indeed exchanged sexual text messages with her and had virtual sexual encounters from time to time, he never groomed the underaged fan.
He also revealed that the alleged victim captured their video without his consent and spread it through her friends.
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